Praktica BMS electronic - shutter problem

mcarmo · Nov 11, 2023

Hello everyone!
I have a 35mm Praktica BMS Electronic, that suffered damages to the shutter button by using a probably malfunctioning cable release.
I used the cable when I was fooling around with long exposures, and after removing it, the shutter button no longer works. The only way to shoot is by inserting an object in the release cable orifice and I have a feeling that the shutter speed is always the same, regardless of what is selected.
Has anyone ever had a similar problem? Is there anything that I may try to do to fix this?

Thank you!

Andreas Thaler · Nov 12, 2023

Is that a mechanical or electrical cable release that you connect to the camera?

chuck3565 · Nov 12, 2023

The shutter button encases a loose metal shaft that hits a metal tab beneath it. My guess is that the metal shaft has become dislodged. I'd remove the battery , then remove the top. If the shutter button part that encloses the metal shaft has cracked, I'd epoxy the shaft in. If you don't know how to remove the top, I'll follow up with an explanation.

mcarmo · Nov 13, 2023

Thank you both for answering.
I just got a recommendation for a good repair shop, so I am going to give that a try, before trying to do anything on my own.
In case this gets out of budget, I will come back to you so I can try to save it.

chuck3565 · Nov 13, 2023

If the electronics are functional, it should take a professional less than an hour to repair.

mcarmo · Nov 20, 2023

Hello @chuck3565 ! Following up on this topic, I did go to the repair shop, but after further analyses to the camera, they detected that the shutter speed was also all wrong. (That was something that I could already tell just by the sound of it, regardless of the speed that was selected, the speed of the shutter seemed to always "sound" the same.) Their opinion was that the camera was not worth the cost it would take to repair it, and unfortunately I had to agree. I have recently come into owning a Nikon FE2 also in need of repairs, and, not being able to afford both, I much rather pay for the repairs on the Nikon.

So, by the looks of it, trying to fix the Praktica myself is probably something way beyond my abilities. Would that be your opinion as well?
Thank you
Mónica

chuck3565 · Nov 20, 2023

Do the leds respond to different light levels and do the speed leds match the shutter dial speed ? If so, the the leaf switch carrier off of the shutter speed cam could be cracked. I just repaired one using Gorilla super glue. Switch alignment after the repair is touchy. Even though I love my Prakticas, I also would repair the Nikon.

mcarmo · Nov 20, 2023

chuck3565 said:
Do the leds respond to different light levels and do the speed leds match the shutter dial speed ? If so, the the leaf switch carrier off of the shutter speed cam could be cracked. I just repaired one using Gorilla super glue. Switch alignment after the repair is touchy. Even though I love my Prakticas, I also would repair the Nikon.

Hello again! Thanks for answering.
The leds do respond to different light levels, but the speed leds only match the shutter dial speed between 30 and 1000. Once I set at a lower speed, the speed led no longer matches and starts pointing speeds apparently at random, or at least they stop making sense to me.

chuck3565 · Nov 21, 2023

That does sound like a switch issue.

Praktica BMS electronic - shutter problem

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency